User Guide and Educational Notes - RM.com

BBC Active 

PO Box 234, Wetherby 

West Yorkshire. LS23 7EU 

Tel: +44 (0)870 830 8000 

Fax: +44 (0)870 830 8002 

E-mail: bbc@twoten.press.net 

Website: www.bbcschoolshop.com 

Sherston Publishing Group 

Angel House, Sherston 

Malmesbury, Wiltshire. SN16 0LH 

Tel: +44 (0)1666 843 200 

Fax: +44 (0)1666 843 216 

E-mail: sales@sherston.co.uk 

Website: www.sherston.com 

User Guide 

and Educational Notes

User Guide 

and 

Educational Notes 

© Educational Publishers LLP and Sherston Software Limited 2006

SHERSTON 

BBC MAGIC GRANDAD: THE GREAT FIRE OF LONDON 

BBC Magic Grandad: The Great Fire of London Credits and 

Copyright 

Design: Sue Rankin 

Project Editor: Hannah Gleed 

Project Manager: Michael Fosker 

Educational Consultant: Sue Rankin 

Quality Assurance: Christy Kirkpatrick, Catriona Ramsay, Julia King and Paul Hollin 

History and Literacy Advisor: Jayne Woodhouse 

Project Leader: A. Kalavathy and Sangeet Kumar Jha 

Developers: P. A. Ganeshan and Sangeet Kumar Jha 

Quicklearn Developer: G. Senthil Kumar 

Lead Artist: Shibu Titus 

Animation and Graphics: Ajith Kumar V., Anbalagan M., Arthur Johnson, Bineesh M., D. Johni Moses, 

Jayasurya V. P. S., Jyothishkumar C. S, Karthikeyan M, Kathiravan M., M Lakshmidaran, Naveen Surya 

Kumar, Sathish Kumar, S. Srinivasan, Sudeep Mukherjee, Sumesh Jayan and V. Immanuel 

Graphical Consultant: Paul Hutchinson 

Narration: Geoff Leesley, Liz Southwell, Matt Daw and Michael Fosker 

Sound processing and sfx: Ben Christie, George Calderbank, Kerry Lawrance and Thrilok Ishwar 

Lead Testers: M.Sridevi and Mike Drury 

Testing: Alex Pattie, Ben Christie, Charlotte Law, Dave Cotterell, Jenny Hares, M.Sridevi and 

Shanu Devarajan 

Resources: Alamy Images, Corbis, Getty Images and Heritage Images 

Print: Leah Poppy Holmes 

Print Design and Production: J. M. Mohanasundaram and Paul Hutchinson 

Program and Documentation: © Educational Publishers LLP and Sherston Software Limited 2006 

First Published in 2005 by Sherston and BBC Active 

Sherston Publishing Group, 

Angel House, Sherston, 

Malmesbury, Wiltshire. 

SN16 0LH, England 

Telephone: 01666 843 200 

Technical HelpDesk: 01666 843 224 

Fax: 01666 843 216 

Email addresses: 

Sales HelpDesk: sales@sherston.co.uk 

Education AdviceDesk: education@sherston.co.uk 

Technical HelpDesk: support@sherston.co.uk 

Website: www.sherston.com 

BBC Active 

PO Box 234, Wetherby 

West Yorkshire. 

LS23 7EU, England 

Tel: 0870 830 8000 

Fax: 0870 830 8002 

E-mail: bbc@twoten.press.net 

Website: www.bbcschoolshop.com 

All rights reserved 

If you have purchased one CD, it is a single-user version and may only be used on a single 

computer. If you wish to use the BBC Magic Grandad: The Great Fire of London on more 

than one computer you will need to upgrade to a multi-user licence. Contact Sherston for 

details. BBC Magic Grandad: The Great Fire of London is sold on the condition that it will 

not be hired or used by software clubs, or be made available as part of a lending library 

system. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any 

means electronic or otherwise without the written permission of the publisher. 

Made with Macromedia is a trademark of Macromedia, Inc. 

Microsoft, Windows and the Windows logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the US 

and/or other countries. 

Apple, the Apple logo, Mac and Macintosh are a registered trademarks of Apple Computer Inc., registered in the US and other 

countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. 

Contents 

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 

What is BBC Magic Grandad: The Great Fire of London? . . . . . . . . . 4 

Educational Objectives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 

Modes of Use . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 

How do I install BBC Magic Grandad: The Great Fire of London? . . . . 6 

Windows PC Users . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 

Apple Mac Users . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 

How do I use BBC Magic Grandad: The Great Fire of London? . . . . . 12 

Login . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 

Teacher Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 

Records Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 

Introductory Sequence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 

Activity Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 

Theme Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 

Navigation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 

Pupil’s Book . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 

The Activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 

When was 1666? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 

People in 1666 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 

How did the Fire start? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 

How far did the Fire spread? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 

Samuel Pepys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 

What have artists shown us? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 

How have buildings changed? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 

Fire-fighting now and in 1666 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 

London before and after the Fire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 

Educational Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 

Whole class . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 

Group work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 

Individual work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 

Technical Information and Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 

Record keeping problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 

Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 

3

SHERSTON 


Introduction 

What is BBC Magic Grandad: The Great Fire of 

London? 

BBC Magic Grandad: The Great Fire of London brings a 

fascinating period of British history to life, as Magic Grandad 

travels back in time to London in 1666. This captivating and 

enchanting resource follows Magic Grandad’s fascinating 

journey, exploring what life was like over 300 years ago and 

discovering how the Great Fire started, how quickly it spread and 

how it destroyed the city. 

Nine focused activities allow children to independently explore 

realistic scenes before completing an exciting task. The Teacher 

Options section tracks each pupil’s progress and enables the 

selection of program settings and mode of use. 

Educational Objectives 

To develop early historical skills 

To explore original sources of historical information 

To encourage asking and answering of questions about the 

past 

To strengthen understanding and knowledge about the past 

A description of each activity and its learning objective(s) can be 

found later in this user guide. There are also suggestions for 

classroom use on pages 29–30. 

Modes of Use 

BBC Magic Grandad: The Great Fire of London has two modes of 

use: Activity or Theme. 

Activity Mode – The nine activities can be accessed individually 

and in any order via the Activity Menu. 

Theme Mode – The nine activities are organised into four 

themes. Activities within a theme are played in consecutive 

order and are accessed via the Theme Menu. 

4 

5

SHERSTON 


How do I install BBC Magic Grandad: The 

Great Fire of London? 

Windows PC Users 

BBC Magic Grandad: The Great Fire of London can be used in two 

different ways: 

By performing a basic installation 

By fully installing on a computer or network 

Please note that you must ensure that the number of computers 

you use BBC Magic Grandad: The Great Fire of London on 

matches the licence that you have purchased. Please contact 

Sherston for further details if necessary (01666 843 200). If you 

have evaluated the software on Sherston’s 28-day free approval 

scheme and have decided not to keep it, you must remove all 

installations of the program from your computers and network. 

Continued use without an appropriate licence is illegal. 

Performing a basic installation 

Place the CD-ROM in the relevant drive on your computer: the CD 

window should open automatically; otherwise, you should open it 

from within My Computer. For full functionality, install BBC Magic 

Grandad: The Great Fire of London by double-clicking on the 

Setup icon and following the on-screen instructions. For a standard 

installation click Next on each screen. This will add BBC Magic 

Grandad: The Great Fire of London to your program menu in the 

location, Start>Programs>Magic Grandad>The Great Fire. The 

installed version will still require the CD-ROM to be in the drive 

during use. 

Fully installing the software on a computer or network 

Please note: If fully installing the program on to a shared area on 

6 

a network you will need to carry out the installation from a 

workstation so that you can browse to a mapped network drive, 

for example P:\Applications\ProgramFolder 

Installing BBC Magic Grandad: The Great Fire of London in the 

following way will mean that the CD will not be required for 

future use of the software. To fully install the software, place the 

CD-ROM in the relevant drive on your computer: the CD window 

should open automatically; otherwise, you should open it from 

within My Computer. Double-click on the Setup icon. After 

reading the copyright information on the Welcome screen, 

click Next. You will then be asked to select a setup type. Choose 

either Full or Custom then click Next and follow the on-screen 

instructions. For full installation to a single computer, choose the 

Full setup type and specify local paths. You will be asked to select 

locations for the following: 

Directory name – this is for program executable files (and media 

files if you choose the Full setup type). Click the Browse button to 

change the destination. You can create a new folder by using the 

New Folder button or simply by adding a folder name to the end 

of the path. All users must have Read access permission to run 

the files in this location. 

Saves location – this must be an area of your network to which 

all users have modification permissions. Click the Browse button 

to choose the drive and folder you wish to use. You can create a 

new folder as directed above. 

Media location – this is only requested during a Custom setup 

type and is for the bulk of the information on the CD. Click the 

Browse button to choose the drive and folder you wish to use. 

You can create a new folder as directed above. You can also set 

this to a location where the files will already exist, such as a CD 

server. All users must have Read access permission for the files 

in this location. 

7

SHERSTON 


If you have evaluated BBC Magic Grandad: The Great Fire of 

London on your network as part of Sherston’s 28-day free 

approval scheme and have decided not to keep the software, you 

must ensure that all installations of the software are removed 

before returning the software. 

Recommended System Requirements 

Windows Computers 

Pentium II processor 

64MB RAM 

Microsoft® Windows® Version 98 or later 

16 Bit colour 

Soundcard 

CD-ROM drive 

Many Sherston titles will run on computers with lower 

specifications than those listed above. In some cases, 

performance may be affected. Please call us for further advice 

concerning our minimum specifications and we will be happy to 

help you. 

Technical Information and Tips 

Please see the section at the end of this booklet for advice on 

how to get the very best out of your computers and software. 

Apple Mac Users 

BBC Magic Grandad: The Great Fire of London can be used in 

two different ways: 

By performing a basic installation 

By fully installing on a computer or network 

Please note that you must ensure that the number of computers 

you use BBC Magic Grandad: The Great Fire of London on 

matches the licence you have purchased. Please contact 

Sherston for further details if necessary (01666 843 200). If you 

have evaluated the software on Sherston’s 28-day free approval 

scheme and have decided not to keep it, you must remove all 

installations of the program from your computers and network. 

Continued use without an appropriate licence is illegal. 

Performing a basic installation 

For full functionality, install BBC Magic Grandad: The Great 

Fire of London in the following way. Place the CD-ROM in the 

relevant drive on your computer: the CD icon will appear on 

the desktop. Double-click on this icon to open a window showing 

the contents of the CD. Double-click on the Install The Great 

Fire of London icon and follow the on-screen instructions. For a 

standard installation, click Next on each screen. Standard 

installation will copy files to a Magic Grandad>The Great Fire 

folder within Applications on the hard drive and will create a 

shortcut on the desktop. The installed version will still require the 

CD-ROM to be in the drive during use. 

Fully installing the software on a computer or network 

Please note: If fully installing the program on to a shared 

area on a network it is recommended that you carry out the 

installation at a workstation from which you can browse to a 

network drive. 

8 

9

SHERSTON 


Installing BBC Magic Grandad: The Great Fire of London in the 

following way means that the CD will not be required for future 

use of the software. Place the CD-ROM in the relevant drive on 

your computer: the CD icon will appear on the desktop. Doubleclick 

on this icon to open a window showing the contents of the 

CD. To install the software on your network, double-click on the 

Install The Great Fire of London icon. After reading the 

copyright information on the Welcome screen, click Next and you 

will be asked to select a setup type. Choose either Full or Custom 

then click Next and follow the on-screen instructions. For full 

installation to a single computer, choose the Full setup type and 

specify local paths. You will be asked to select locations for the 

following: 

Directory name – this is for program executable files (and media 

files if you choose the Full setup type). Click the Browse button to 

change the destination. You can create a new folder simply by 

adding a folder name to the end of the path. All users must have 

Read access permission to run the files in this location. 

Saves location – this must be an area of your network to which 

all users have permission to read, write and delete files. Click the 


You can create a new folder as directed above. 

Media location – this is only requested during a Custom setup 

type and is for the bulk of the information on the CD. Click the 


You can create a new folder as directed above. You can also set 

this to a location where the files will already exist such as a CD 

server. All users must have Read access permission for the files in 

this location. 

approval scheme and have decided not to keep the software, you 

must remove all installations of the program from your computers 

and network. Continued use without an appropriate licence is 

illegal. 

Recommended System Requirements 

Apple Mac Computers 

Power Mac G3 233MHz processor 

128MB RAM 

OS X version 10.2 or later 

16 Bit colour 

Soundcard 

CD-ROM drive 

Many Sherston titles will run on computers with lower 

specifications than those listed above. In some cases, performance 

may be affected. Please call us for further advice concerning our 

minimum specifications and we will be happy to help you. 


Please see the section at the end of this booklet for advice on how 

to get the very best out of your computers and software. 

If you have evaluated BBC Magic Grandad: The Great Fire of 

London on your network as part of Sherston’s 28-day free 

10 

11

SHERSTON 


How do I use BBC Magic Grandad: The Great 

Fire of London? 

Login 

Magic Grandad welcomes the 

user and instructs them to log 

in. 

There are three ways to log in: 

as a new user, as an existing 

user or as a guest. 

Teacher Options 

Clicking on the T button on the Main Menu takes you to 

the Teacher Options area, where you will be able to view 

and change the program settings. You can also access the 

Teacher Options area by holding down Ctrl and pressing T on the 

keyboard. The Teacher Options area consists of two sections: 

General and Records. 

General tab 

How to log in as a new user 

If a child has not logged in before, they should type their name 

into the New Name window and then click on the OK button. 

How to log in as an existing user 

If a child has logged in before, or if their details have been preentered 

into the Records section, they should click on their name 

in the displayed list and then click OK. The blue arrows beside the 

list of names allows users to browse up and down in search of their 

name. 

Both login methods described above activate the record-keeping 

system and Pupil’s Book facility. 

How to log in as guest 

If a child wishes to log in as a guest, they should click on the 

Guest button and then the OK button. Please note that no records 

or Pupil’s Book will be kept for users logged in as a guest. 

12 

Features of the General tab include: 

Selecting the program’s mode of use. To select the mode of 

use, click on the Activity or Theme buttons. 

Selecting activities (Activity Mode) or themes (Theme 

Mode) for inclusion within the program. To turn an activity 

or theme ON/OFF, click on the check box next to each 

activity or theme title. 

Turning the task sections of each activity on or off. 

The tasks are ON by default. 

Setting the volume level. The default volume setting is 

MEDIUM. 

13

SHERSTON 


Turning the Pupil’s Book facility on or off. The Pupils’ Books 

are ON by default. 

Please note: If tasks are turned OFF, the Pupil’s Book facility will 

also be OFF. 

Protecting access to the Teacher Options screens by setting 

a password. When this is switched ON, each time you try to 

access Teacher Options, a prompt will appear asking you to 

type in the password control. The password will be OFF by 

default. 

Turning the rewards on or off. The rewards are ON by 

default. 

Turning the record-keeping facility on or off. The recordkeeping 

functionality is ON by default. Records will not be 

kept for users logged in as a guest. 

Turning the full screen mode on or off. The full screen mode 

is ON by default. 

Other buttons on the General tab include: 

Reset Defaults. Restores all default settings on the General 

and Records tabs. 

Return to Menu. Returns to Main Menu screen. 

Records Tab 

The Records section records 

and tracks the progress of 

logged-in users, detailing the 

activities they have visited. 

Each activity is broken down 

into three sections: Click and 

Explore, Task and Pupil’s 

Book. A blue dot appears in 

each section of the activity 

completed. 

Features of the Records tab include: 

Add Pupil. This button allows another pupil to be added to 

the list of pupil names. 

Delete. This button deletes a selected pupil from the list. 

Please note that deleting a pupil from the list of names will 

also permanently delete their records and Pupil’s Book. 

Delete all. This button deletes all pupil names, records and 

Pupils’ Books. 

Reset. This button allows a selected pupil’s records to be 

cleared. Please note that resetting a pupil’s records will also 

permanently delete their Pupil’s Book. 

Reset all. This button clears the records and Pupils’ Books for 

all pupils in the list. 

Print. This button allows the Records screen to be printed. 

View Pupil’s Book. This button allows you view the Pupil’s 

Book of a selected pupil. 

Other buttons on the Records tab include: 

Return to Menu. Returns to Main Menu screen. 

14 

15

SHERSTON 


Introductory Sequence 

Activity Menu 

Magic Grandad explains to 

the user that long ago, a 

Great Fire burned in London. 

An animated sequence shows 

Magic Grandad travelling 

back in time and arriving in a 

London street in 1666. 

Users can skip the 

introductory sequence and 

time travel animation by 

clicking on the Skip button. 

If the program is set to 

Activity Mode, the 

introductory sequence will 

lead straight to the Activity 

Menu. 

Each of the nine activities is 

represented by a separate 

icon. Users can access each 

of the activities individually 

and in any order by clicking 

on the activity icons. 

Theme Menu 

If the program is set 

to Theme Mode, the 

introductory sequence will 

lead straight to the Theme 

Menu. 

The nine activities are organised into four themes; 

All about 1666 

When was 1666? 

People in 1666 

What happened? 

How did the Great Fire start? 

How far did the Great Fire spread? 

How do we know? 

Samuel Pepys 

What have artists shown us? 

Before and after the Fire 

How have buildings changed? 

Fire-fighting now and in 1666 

London before and after the Great Fire 

Each of the four themes is represented by a separate icon. Users 

consecutively complete all activities within a theme after clicking 

on a theme icon. 

16 

17

SHERSTON 


Navigation 

Clicking the i button on the 

main interface brings up an 

information box, detailing 

the currently logged-in user’s 

name and location within the 

program. 

The information box also 

contains a button to return to 

the Activity, Theme or Main 

Menu (depending on the 

user’s location). Users can close the information box by clicking 

on the X button in the top right-hand corner. 

Pupil’s Book 

The Pupil’s Book facility 

saves all tasks completed by 

logged-in users into their own 

printable book. 

Upon completing an activity’s 

Task section, users will be 

shown the page that will be 

saved into their book. It will 

contain a view of the 

completed activity and an 

input text box. Magic Grandad will encourage the user to type a 

sentence about the activity into the text box before clicking on 

the Finish button and saving the page into their Pupil’s Book. 

Users can view their book by clicking on the My book button on 

the Activity and Theme Menus. Teachers can view any pupil’s 

book via the Teacher Options Records tab. 

The Activities 

Each of the nine activities available within BBC Magic Grandad: 

The Great Fire of London includes a Click and Explore screen, 

followed immediately by an engaging task. The captivating 

exploration screens allow users to freely investigate at their own 

pace and the exciting tasks go on to develop pupils’ knowledge 

and understanding of the information retrieved. 

Navigate through the activity sections using the 

forward and back arrows. 

Click this button to replay speech and animations where 

applicable. This button is available throughout the program. 

Please note: You can return to the Main Menu at any time by 

holding down Ctrl and pressing the Q key on your keyboard. Here 

you can exit the program by clicking on the Q key. 

Magic Grandad’s History Club 

Upon completing an activity, users will be rewarded by gaining a 

star on their ‘Magic Grandad’s History Club’ card. Each logged-in 

pupil will have a ‘Magic Grandad’s History Club’ card, detailing 

their name and the number of stars they have collected. Users 

can check how many stars they have collected at any time by 

clicking on the i button, or by viewing the first page of their 

Pupil’s Book. 

18 

19

SHERSTON 


When was 1666? 

Learning Objectives: 

Identify differences between ways of life at different times 

Use common words and phrases relating to the passing of 

time 

Click and Explore 

Arrive in a London street 

in 1666 and discover 

differences in clothing, 

buildings, transport and 

general way of life, over 300 

years ago. 

People in 1666 



Know how to find out about the past from a range of sources 

of information 


Investigate the portraits of 

various people who lived 

during the Great Fire of 

London to find out about 

appearance and social class 

in 1666. 

Task 

Users are asked to sort a 

range of items from 1666 

and today onto the correct 

scrolls. 

Task 

Answer a series of questions 

about the appearance of 

King Charles II, Thomas 

Faryner, Samuel Pepys or 

housemaid Jane, to rebuild 

the portraits viewed in the 

Click and Explore screen. 

20 

21

SHERSTON 


How did the Fire start? 


Know when the Great Fire happened 

Know where the Great Fire broke out 

Know why the Great Fire broke out 

How far did the Fire spread? 


Know about the main events of the Great Fire 

Sequence the events correctly 

Know why the fire spread so far for so long 



Visit Thomas Faryner’s 

bakery on Pudding Lane and 

discover the events that led 

to the start of the Great Fire. 

Study five maps of London in 

1666 showing each day that 

the Great Fire burned and 

detailing the main 

developments as it spread 

across the city. 

Task 

Create a Fire Report by 

correctly sequencing the 

series of events that led to 

the start of the Great Fire. 

Task 

Assemble three September 

1666 newspapers by 

choosing suitable headlines 

and pictures for each day the 

Great Fire burned. 

22 

23

SHERSTON 


Samuel Pepys 


Know what an eyewitness is 





Meet Samuel Pepys as he 

reads extracts from his diary 

to describe the Great Fire. 

What have artists shown us? 


Know what an eyewitness is 

Know about the part played by artists in recording events of 

the Great Fire 




Investigate four pictures of 

the Great Fire, created by 

artists from long ago to 

understand what the 

eyewitnesses saw. 

Task 

Help sort muddled sentences 

from Samuel Pepys’ diary. 

Task 

Create a painting, drawing or 

engraving of the Great Fire, 

using a selection of clip art. 

24 

25

SHERSTON 


How have buildings changed? 


Know what makes cities safer from great fires today 

Children to use their knowledge and understanding of the 

Great Fire to make a representation of it 


Explore a row of buildings 

from 1666 to identify how 

modern buildings are 

designed to reduce the risk of 

fire. 

Fire-fighting today and in 1666 



Know why the Great Fire spread so far for so long 


Explore a scene of firefighters 

from 1666, struggling to 

control the flames. Compare 

their basic equipment to 

today’s fire service and 

recognise how modern firefighting 

techniques have 

developed. 

Task 

Sort a series of labels, 

detailing features of buildings 

from 1666 and today onto the 

correct buildings. 

Task 

Decide if the given items and 

phrases belong in the 1666 

or modern day fire-fighting 

scenes. 

26 

27

SHERSTON 


London before and after the Fire 


Know about the results of the Great Fire 

Recognise why people did things, why events happened and 

what happened as a result 


See the destruction that the 

Great Fire caused to the city 

of London and understand 

how the city changed as it 

was rebuilt. 

Educational Notes 

Suggested Classroom Use 

The BBC Magic Grandad: The Great Fire of London CD-ROM 

has been created to provide teachers and pupils with a unique 

historical resource. It can be used either in conjunction with other 

Magic Grandad resources from the respected BBC series, or 

independently, as an integral part of the teaching approach. 

Designed to develop a growing historical awareness in younger 

pupils, the CD-ROM supports: 

Chronological understanding 

Identifying differences between ways of life at different times 

Task 

Create a poster to tell people 

how the Great Fire affected 

London. 

Understanding of events, people and changes in the past 

Identifying different ways in which the past is represented 

Finding out about the past from a range of sources of 

information 

Using historical knowledge to communicate in a variety of 

ways 

Knowledge and understanding of the Great Fire 

Whole Class 

The Click and Explore sections of each activity provide realistic 

representations of London in 1666 and offer excellent stimuli for 

class discussions on the many differences between life in 1666 

and today. The Click and Explore scenes are particularly suitable 

for interactive whiteboard use due to the inclusion of the forward 

arrow, which until pressed, allows users to remain within the Click 

and Explore section for as long as required. 

28 

29

SHERSTON 


Group Work 

Working in groups will allow pupils to investigate the Click and 

Explore screens together, discovering new facts about the Great 

Fire of London. The activities encourage contemplation and 

discussion through the style of thought-provoking narration, 

building historical awareness and developing vocabulary. 

Children will enjoy completing the task sections in small groups, 

making suggestions and discussing their answers. They could 

also give their group a name and produce a group Pupil’s Book, 

noting down the key points of their discussions using the text 

entry facility. 

Individual Work 

BBC Magic Grandad: The Great Fire of London can be used by 

individual pupils as they work independently and at their own 

pace. The program can be used to support extended research 

or to reinforce historical knowledge and understanding. The 

creation of a Pupil’s Book for each child allows children to show 

their level of knowledge and understanding by the quality of the 

text that they enter onto each page. 


Sherston has built its reputation upon the quality of its software 

and support and is always happy to advise users on any aspects 

of its software and the computers it runs on. 

The following information is provided purely as a useful reference 

to common aspects of our software. If you would prefer to discuss 

any problems you may have, please call us. Our Technical 

HelpDesk is open Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm, 01666 843 224. 

Record keeping problems 

Problems with record keeping (storing of pupil names or program 

settings etc) can normally be attributed to the following reason: 

Insufficient Permissions granted to the Saves folder 

When you install BBC Magic Grandad: The Great Fire of London, 

a Saves folder is created. This is the area where pupil names and 

scores and general program settings are stored. 

Users must have full access permissions (they must be able to 

read and write) to this folder for record keeping to be available. 

Normally you would need to have Administrator privileges to alter 

the permissions on this folder. You may need to contact your IT 

Support if you are not sure how to do this. 

Some systems may not allow you to alter the permissions on the 

Saves folder (perhaps because you have an additional level of 

security provided by your computer supplier or you have installed 

third-party software that controls desktop security). In this case, 

you will need to identify an area on your computer system that 

users have full access to (they can read and write). Use the Full 

installation option to install the program, specifying the destination 

of the Saves folder as your read/write area. 

30 

31

SHERSTON 

Index 

Access Teacher Options button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13 

Activity Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19–28 

Activity Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 

Activity Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16 

Apple Mac Users . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 

Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 

Recommended Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11 

Educational objectives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 

Fire fighting now and in 1666 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27 

How did the Fire spread? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23 

How did the Fire start? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22 

How have buildings changed? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26 

Introductory Sequence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16 

Login . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12 

London before and after the Fire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28 

Modes of use . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 

Navigation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19 

Password (Teacher Options) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14 

People in 1666 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21 

Pupil’s Book . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18 

Quitting the program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19 

Return to Main Menu button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19 

Return to Teacher Options button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13 

Samuel Pepys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24 

Teacher Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13 

Technical Information and Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31 

Theme Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17 

Theme Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 

What have artists shown us? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25 

When was 1666? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20 

Windows PC Users . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 

Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 

Recommended Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 

32

User Guide and Educational Notes - RM.com

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?